Question: The scale on a map is 1cm : 2km. If two cities are 10cm apart on the map, what is the actual distance in km between the two cities?
The scale means that every 1cm on the map corresponds to an actual distance of 2km. A distance of 10cm on the map is the same as 10 $\cdot$ 1cm. The actual distance between the two cities is 10 $\cdot$ 2km, or 20km.